The Most Important Memory
by Miss Caitie Jo
Summary: He didn't dream anymore, but he still had his memories. So did she. A/A, OC/? Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first shot at fan fiction... I own nothing..._

* * *

He didn't dream anymore. He couldn't. But he still had his memories. Every night before he went to sleep he thought of her. He closed his eyes, and could imagine her next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"What the… Eames!" Arthur slugged him.

"Ow." Eames shoved him. "Why were you sleeping so close to me? Miss me Darling?"

"No you idiot." Arthur shoved him again. Eames tried not to laugh.

* * *

"What's the deal with the thimble Cassie?" Ariadne asked.

"Uh nothing." Cassie said. "At least not anymore." She mumbled. "So when are you going to tell me about this guy?"

"What guy?"

"There's always a guy. You've been way too cheerful lately."

"Uh, well, I'm off to work."

"What is it you do again?" Cassie asked.

"Uh, nothing." Ariadne grinned.

"Yeah, sure. See ya later."

"See ya." She grabbed an apple and ran out the door. Cassie sat at the table and laughed. "There's definitely a guy."

* * *

"Morning Arthur."

"Morning." He didn't look up from his papers.

"Where is everyone?"

"Uh, I don't know. Yusuf and Cobb went to get something, and I don't have a clue about Eames." He glanced up for a second and smiled at her before going back to his papers.

"What are you doing anyway?"

"Research."

"I thought you were done."

"Do I look like I'm done?" He snipped.

"No." She wanted to kick herself. Obviously he was in a bad mood. She shouldn't have said anything. She walked over to her model and started fiddling with it. She heard Arthur sigh and stand up.

"How's the model?"

"It's fine."

"I'm sorry for being short. It's taking longer than I thought. We're running out of time. I'm running out of time. We could all be at risk if I miss something."

"It'll be okay." Ariadne tried to be reassuring.

"I didn't sleep well last night. Eames… well I'm not sure what he was doing. He hugged me."

"On purpose?"

"In his sleep I think. And I think he kissed me."

"He kissed you?"

"My forehead. I was half asleep. I punched him." He rolled his eyes. Ariadne giggled.

"What?"

"I'm glad I have an apartment. You guys get into some crazy situations."

"Yeah, we do. The model looks good." He squeezed her hand.

"Thanks." She blushed.

Her phone rang and broke the tension. "Hey." She said. She tried not to sound irritated that Cassie called her.

"Uh, you left your bag here. Do you need it?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I left it."

"No problem, I have to go out anyway I'll bring it by the warehouse."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Oh, do you want this chess piece?" Ariadne froze. She grabbed her back pocket. No bishop. Crap.

"Yeah, do you mind bringing it?"

"Not at all. I'll see you in a bit."

"Bye."

"Everything okay?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah. I just left some stuff at my apartment. My roommate is gonna drop it by."

"What? She can't come here." "She thinks I do inventory at this warehouse."

"Ariadne. You can't tell anyone about this place."

"Arthur, I…"

"Tada!" Cassie walked in.

"I thought…"

"I left before I called you." Cassie grinned.

"Here is your bag."

"Thanks. Did you bring the bishop?"

"I did." She held it in her palm for a second before handing it over. She looked up and saw the silver briefcase. She grinned. "Now that is something I haven't seen in a long time." She traced her finger across the top.

"What do you mean?" Ariadne asked.

Arthur stood up. "Who are you?"

"Arthur, I'm hurt. You don't remember me?" She pulled her thimble out of her pocket and tossed it at him. He caught it and stared.

"Cassie? Oh my gosh. You're alive."

"Well duh Arthur."

"I'm confused." Ariadne said.

"Arthur is the point man now."

"Yeah."

"So, I was the point girl."

"Oh my gosh. The thimble. It was your totem. Wasn't it?"

"Yeah. It was."

"What happened?"

"We finished this job, but we were found out, or something. I can't remember how many times I was shot. I woke up a few days later in a hospital. They convinced me that my team had abandoned me." She was shaking. Ariadne had never seen her so upset.

"We didn't abandon you!" Arthur sputtered. "We thought you were dead. You were in a pool of blood. You didn't have a pulse." He was truly upset.

Cassie changed her tone. "I thought I was dead. I figured that's why I was left behind. I never thought that you guys would ever just abandon me."

"Why didn't you come find us?"

"I had too much to worry about afterward to try to track any of you down."

"What did you have to worry about?" Arthur asked. Before she could answer Yusuf, Cobb, and Eames walked in.

"Cassie?" Cobb shrieked.

"You're not dead!" Eames shouted. He was visibly shaken.

"Well, like Arthur, the three of you have a keen grasp on the obvious." She smiled.

* * *

_I have some ideas about what should come next... Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews and the pointers! :)_

* * *

No one said anything. Cobb, Eames and Yusuf still couldn't believe she was alive. Arthur had gotten used to the idea, but wanted to know why she didn't come find them. Ariadne was stunned that her roommate had worked with them. She wondered why Cassie had never told her. Of course, she would have thought Cassie was crazy – which was the same reason Ariadne never told Cassie.

Cassie's phone rang and broke the silence. She looked at the name and rolled her eyes. She answered as she walked over to the window.

"Hello darling. How are you? Oh I'm fine." She looked over at Ariadne and made a face. Ariadne laughed to herself and walked over to hear the conversation better.

"Okay. Hey baby! How are you?"

"I'm fine Mommy." Ariadne could hear a high pitched little voice through the phone.

"What are you guys doing?"

"We're going to go skiing in the Swiss Alps!"

"That sounds like fun."

"Yeah."

"Ariadne and I want to find you something awesome for your birthday. What do you want?" Ariadne listened, but she couldn't hear.

"Mm-hmm. Okay. I'll see what I can do okay baby?"

"Okay mommy. I love you."

"I love you too. Let me talk to Charlie again." She sighed. "Hey, have fun, and make her behave. I try. Trust me. You too. Bye." She closed her phone.

"How's Charlie?" Ariadne asked.

Cassie sighed. "Charlie is Charlie."

"Who is Charlie?" Cobb asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Cassie snorted. She looked at Ariadne and sighed. "I need to talk to you about something later. When will you be home?" She asked in a low whisper.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully not too late. Why?"

"I can't talk about it now." She looked at her watch and swore under her breath. "Geez. I have to go. I knew this would happen. I shouldn't have called you, but I knew you left your totem in your room… Do me a favor will you?"

"Sure."

"Never leave it again."

"I won't."

"Good. I have to go. I can't deal with this." She was fidgeting with her phone.

"You can't deal with this? What is there to deal with?" Ariadne asked.

"You'd be surprised."

"You never answered my question." Arthur said.

"Which one?"

"What did you have to worry about? Why didn't you track us down?"

"I couldn't."

"You couldn't? Why not?" Cobb asked.

"Memories Dom. You have yours. I have mine." She walked out.

* * *

Eames quietly followed her out. He caught up to her and tapped her shoulder.

"What do you want?" She growled as she spun around.

For once the forger was at a loss for words. He shrugged. "I thought you were dead."

"Well I'm not." She sighed impatiently. She really was late, but she wanted to hear him out.

"I stayed as long as I could. I held your hand. I don't know if you knew that. I didn't want to leave you. We were sure you were gone, and…"

"The decent thing to do would have been to take my body. Then I wouldn't have…" She was going to tell him, but she thought better of it.

"You wouldn't have what?" He pressed.

"I wouldn't have been on my own for the past five years." She couldn't tell him that the reason she didn't find them was that if she did they would die. It was one pissed off client. He wanted them all dead.

"I'm sorry love."

"I am too. I really have to go."

"Maybe it won't be five years before we run into each other again."

"Maybe." She smiled.

* * *

Ariadne was distracted the rest of the day. She tried to clear her mind and finish the model, but she couldn't. Yusuf was rambling on about how his supply of his favorite sedative was running low. He didn't know if he could get more in time. Eames was reading the paper; ignoring everything around him. He was more sullen than usual. Arthur and Cobb had been in the back talking.

"Ariadne." Cobb called her back.

"Yeah?"

"We need to talk to you."

"Sure." She got up and walked back to them. She knew it was about Cassie.

"You have got to talk to her." Cobb said. He looked tired, and worried.

"Me? Why me?"

"You're her roommate. She'll talk to you. We need to talk to her."

"Why?"

"Ariadne. She was dead. Somehow, they brought her back. We need to know who, and we need to know how."

"She has never talked about her past. I don't think she will tell me just because I ask her."

"Then get her to talk to me."

"I'll do my best."

* * *

Ariadne grabbed her bag, and checked her pocket for the bishop. She took it out and flicked it. This had been the craziest day, but it wasn't a dream. "Oh well." She shrugged. She grabbed her coat and scarf.

"Goodnight Eames. See you tomorrow." She figured the others had left.

"Night love." Eames said. "I think Arthur is waiting for you."

"He is? I thought he left already."

"Only one way to find out eh?" He grinned.

"See you in the morning." She hurried out the door. She saw Arthur waiting for her.

"What took you so long?" He teased.

"I thought you had left. Then Eames told me you were waiting for me."

"About this morning… I'm sorry I snipped at you."

"It's alright Arthur. I know you've been stressed lately. I understand."

"Will you just give me a chance to offer a decent apology, and take you to dinner to make it up to you?"

"Oh. Sure." She blushed.

"Great." He leaned in to kiss her cheek, but she caught his face and pulled his lips to hers.

"This works too." He whispered and pulled her closer.

"Oi! You two! Get a room or something." Eames teased. Arthur and Ariadne pulled apart and both turned red. Eames just laughed and walked off.

"Uh, so… Dinner?" Arthur asked nervously.

"Sure."Ariadne smiled and took his hand. She knew she and Cassie needed to talk, but this was Arthur. Cassie could wait.

* * *

_As always reviews and suggestions are welcome. I'll try to post again soon. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

_I spent today working on this instead of working. Work internet blocks the site so I couldn't update from the office. I hope you enjoy._

* * *

Arthur dropped Ariadne off at her apartment building, and insisted on walking her up.

"As long as Cassie doesn't see you."

"Deal." He kissed her. She giggled.

Dinner had been a delight. Just being around him was like floating on a cloud. A couple of times she wanted to pull out her bishop and make sure she wasn't dreaming, but she didn't care.

"So let me guess. You were supposed to go straight home and talk to her?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know what she wants to talk to you about?"

"No. I figure it has something to do with working with you guys."

"Probably does."

"This is my stop." She said as they reached her apartment.

"I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her.

"Goodnight."

* * *

"Hey Cassie."

"Hey." Cassie said absently.

"Sorry I'm late." Ariadne sat on the couch.

"How's Arthur?" Cassie asked looking up from her book.

"Uh, he's good."

"Good. Did you two go to dinner?"

"Yeah." She felt like she had gotten in after curfew and been busted by her mom. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I had almost forgotten about that."

"Yeah right." Ariadne rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you're right. I didn't forget." Cassie laughed. "Ariadne, I want you to be careful."

"I will Cass. I swear. But, Cassie what gives? You stormed in earlier, and then you stormed out."

"First of all, I did not storm in. I stormed out, but not in. Secondly, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. If I had known, I wouldn't have let Miles introduce you to Cobb."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Do you? I knew what I was doing. At least I thought I did. Hell, maybe getting shot was the best thing that happened to me."

"How could you say that?"

"I have Joella. She's my world now Ariadne. The team, they were never my world. If you had a child you would understand. With that lifestyle you will never have a family. I was naïve enough to think it would work. It would be different for me. I could make it work. I was wrong. I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

"I won't let it Cassie. I swear I won't."

"You have to give up your family. I had to learn that the hard way. Joella has no concept of grandparents. The only family she knows is me, you, and Charlie." She rubbed her face with her hands. "Oh, and guess what Joella wants for her birthday?"

"Uh, the same thing she has wanted for every birthday, and holiday since she could talk?"

"Yeah. She wants her daddy. He is not the easiest man in the world to find."

"That's a challenge."

"You have no idea."

"Tell me."

"There is so much I wish I could tell you Ariadne."

"Why can't you?"

"It's not that I can't."

"You won't?" Ariadne asked in disbelief.

"It's not safe."

"Safe? What are you into?"

"Nothing. Not anymore anyway. Just promise me you will be careful. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise me you won't lose yourself like I did."

"I promise. Maybe you could talk to Cobb."

"Maybe I could."

"They seemed really upset. They really believed you were dead."

"I know they did. Like I said, I shouldn't have come this morning. It would have been better if I had you meet me somewhere. Then they would still believe I was dead."

"How could you not go find them?"

"It's complicated." She wanted to tell her, but she didn't know how. She could tell Cobb. That much she did know.

* * *

Cassie was gone the next morning when Ariadne got up. She saw a note on the table. _"Gone to work early. See you later."_ She grabbed a muffin from the fridge. On second thought, she'd grab some coffee on the way. She tossed the muffin in the trash. She called Arthur on her way to see if he wanted anything.

"Good morning? Do you want to get some coffee?"

"Nah, I'm good." He mumbled absently.

"Okay." She said. She heard the phone click. "Good morning to you too." She said to herself. She decided to call Eames. She knew that would chap Arthur.

"Good morning darling. How are you?" He was definitely more cheery than Arthur.

"Want to meet me for coffee at the café?"

"Sure." He grinned. "I'll see you in ten love."

"Morning darling." He kissed her forehead just for show. She rolled her eyes.

"Good morning."

"So why did you call me instead of Arthur?"

"I called him first. He wasn't interested."

"I figured after last night that…" His voice trailed off.

"That what?"

"I don't know. Was he busy?"

"I guess he was." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"There, there. I didn't mean to make you cry." He put his arm around her.

"I know. It's okay." She said furiously wiping the tears away. "I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Arthur is Arthur. He's a stick in the mud, and can be a smidge dense from time to time."

"How well did you know Cassie?" She could tell the question took him by surprise.

"Very well. We worked together for a long time."

"She won't tell me what happened. I asked, but she said she wouldn't tell me. She could, but she wouldn't."

"Must not be safe then. Cassie was the best at being able to tell when something was safe or not. Her focus was better than Arthur's if you can imagine. Oh, but don't tell him that. He'll get all out of sorts."

"I won't." She smiled and sipped her drink.

"We'd best be off. Arthur might come looking for you again, and then I'd be in trouble."

* * *

Arthur looked up when Eames and Ariadne walked in. _"Together? What the hell?"_ He cursed himself for not going with her. He figured she must have called Eames instead. Or worse, Eames called her.

"Morning Darling, miss me?" Eames quipped.

"No." Arthur mumbled.

Ariadne tossed her coat and scarf on a chair and chattered to Eames about her model.

"Maybe I need to change the maze." She said absently. She was distracted. Arthur still hadn't said anything to her. She wasn't about to say anything to him and get her head bit off in the process.

"I dunno about that. It looks good to me."

"I guess it will do." Why was she even talking to Eames about her mazes? She always talked to Arthur.

"Eames? A word?" Arthur asked.

"Sure. Good work darling." He squeezed Ariadne's shoulder. Arthur was ready to slug him.

"Alright, what?" Eames crossed his arms and looked down at Arthur once they were in the back room. Arthur didn't say anything. He just glared.

"Okay, I won't talk to your girlfriend. Happy?"

"She's not my…" He stopped. She wasn't, but he wanted her to be.

"Alright then."

"Why did you have coffee with her?"

"Is that a crime now?"

"No, I…"

"She called me to talk about Cassie. You could have come along if you hadn't shrugged her off."

"Oh."

"Yeah so if you weren't so busy being an ass I wouldn't have to step in and make sure she's alright."

"Do you think she'll talk to me?"

"It's worth a shot."

"But do you think she will?"

"I wouldn't talk to you." Eames smirked and walked out. Ariadne was putting on her coat and scarf.

"Where are you going?" Cobb asked as he walked in.

"I have to go pick something up for Cassie. I'll be back in a bit."

"Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Yeah, it's complicated."

"I thought it would be."

"She said she would talk to you."

"Really?" He seemed surprised.

"Yeah, she didn't say when, and I don't think she's in a hurry."

"What makes you think that?"

"She's gone for a few days."

"Where did she go?"

"Switzerland. She said she had to make some stops on the way."

"What's in Switzerland?" Eames asked.

"Her daughter." She looked at Eames. His face was ashen.

"She has a daughter? When did that happen?" Cobb asked.

"About five years ago I guess."

"Is it Charlie's?" Cobb didn't know who he was, but he was suspicious.

Ariadne laughed. What was it with the third degree anyway?

"Oh, God no. Charlie would be much more interested in you than Cassie." She laughed. "I walked out of my room in a towel once, and he actually got annoyed with me. He said I had nothing of interest to him."

"Oh really?" Eames asked.

"Eames, shut it." Arthur fussed.

"Why don't you all question each other while I go run these errands?" She said as she walked out. If she didn't just walk out, they'd keep asking her questions.

* * *

Ariadne took as long as possible picking up the papers at the print shop. Cassie had forgotten to get them and take them to Miles.

"Here you go." She dropped the box in the corner of Miles' office.

"Thank you."

"She's mad at me you know."

"Who? Cassie?" He asked. She nodded.

"No. She's not mad at you."

"She said if she had known she would never have let you introduce me to Cobb."

"You have to understand where she is coming from. Her work as an extractor ended badly."

"I know."

"But you don't know what she went through after that. She was threatened. She could never go back. She could never see her team again."

"Why not?"

"If she did, they would all die." The news hit Ariadne like a bag of bricks. That's why Cassie wouldn't tell her. Eames was right. It wasn't safe.

"Miles, I didn't know."

"It was like pulling teeth to get her to tell me. Don't you dare let on that you know."

"I won't. Does she know who Joella's father is?"

"I don't know. She says she does. That is one thing she has never told me."

"That makes two of us."

* * *

Ariadne went back to constructing her mazes. The model wasn't quite right. Arthur came over and asked her about it. "It's fine." She mumbled. She didn't look up at him. Eventually, he walked away. She managed to avoid him for the rest of the day. It was mean, but she didn't want to talk to him.

"Goodnight." She said as she left that evening. She glanced over at Arthur who had his nose in a book.

She walked home alone, thankful to be alone and just look at the stars. When she got to the apartment she turned on a movie, and fell asleep on the couch.

She woke up what felt like hours later to someone knocking on the door. She stumbled up and to the door. She looked at the clock. She'd only been sleeping for an hour. Still groggy, she opened the door. "Hello?"

"Uh, Hi." Arthur stammered.

"What do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." She yawned and opened the door further.

"Where you sleeping?"

"I was, but it's hard to when someone keeps banging on the door."

"I'm sorry I thought maybe you were gone, or ignoring me."

"I was sleeping." Her head was killing her.

"I brought you dinner." He offered.

"Thanks." She took the box from him.

"About this morning."

"I don't want to talk about it." She mumbled her mouth full of food.

"Will you listen to me talk?"

"If you want to." That made no sense.

"I was half asleep when you called. I went back to the warehouse after I dropped you off, and never left. I had been up all night, and didn't really put things together when you called and asked if I wanted coffee."

"Okay."

"And why did you come walking in with Eames?"

"I was asking him about Cassie."

"It didn't look that way."

"I, I didn't mean for it to look like I was with Eames. I didn't mean to hurt you Arthur." She put her food down and grabbed his hand.

"And you never talk to Eames about your mazes. You always talk to me." He looked betrayed.

"Yeah, but yesterday when I tried to talk to you, you almost bit my head off. I didn't feel like getting jumped on again."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's like we can be together at night, but during the day I can't talk to you or even look at you."

"I didn't mean for it to be that way. Maybe after this job things will calm down a little." He kissed her cheek.

* * *

"Hey Ariadne." Cassie came in, Joella in tow.

"Hey. I thought you were going to be gone."

"I thought so too, but things changed."

"Ariadne!" Joella squealed jumping over the back of the couch on top of her.

"Hey kiddo."

"I missed you." She squeezed her neck.

"I missed you too. Joella, I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry!" She looked at Arthur as if to just notice his existence. "Who are you?"

"This is Arthur. He works with me. Arthur, this is Cassie's daughter Joella."

"Nice to meet you." He said.

She crawled out of Ariadne's lap into Arthur's. She put her hands on his face and studied him intently. "Nope! Not you." She hopped up.

"Excuse me?" Arthur asked.

"Joella, what are you doing?"

"Mommy said I have my daddy's eyes. Your eyes are different Arthur." She grabbed her bag and skipped to her room.

"Hi Arthur." Cassie sat down in the recliner across from them.

"I've never heard that about Joella before." Ariadne said.

"I know." She sighed.

"Is it true? Because her eyes look like…"

"Don't say it." Cassie sat up. "Please don't say it." She begged.

"Okay. I won't."

"And Arthur, not a word out of you either." Cassie looked at him.

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"And not a word to the others."

"They still think you're gone for a couple days."

"Let them."

"Cobb has been giving me the third degree lately."

"I noticed that earlier." Arthur said.

"Miles said he told you earlier." Cassie said quietly.

"He told me not to let on that I know. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, and I will talk to Cobb. But in my own time. And it is up to the two of you to make sure he doesn't hook me up and try to pull my secrets out through my dreams. I'll tell him what he wants to know. He doesn't have to drag it out of me."

"He thinks he does because that's how he gets information." Arthur said. "And I'm sorry if I messed something up that day."

"You didn't. It was my fault. I was distracted."

"It makes sense now."

"Do they know about Joella?"

"I said you were in Switzerland and they asked why."

"Okay. I'm going to bed. Good night." She smiled and walked to her room.

* * *

"Want to get coffee in the morning?" Arthur asked before he left.

"Sure." She kissed him.

"I'll meet you there." He pulled her close. "I should probably go." He whispered against her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him pulling him back down to the couch.

"On second thought Joella usually comes out for her late night snack about now."

"Yeah, like now. Ew!" They looked up at Joella who was making a face at them. Arthur blushed. Ariadne giggled.

"Joella, go back to bed." Ariadne said as she kissed Arthur.

"But I'm hungry."

"Good night."

"I'll be back Arthur." Joella glared at him, and sulked back to her room.

"Is she serious?" Arthur asked as he kissed her again.

"Definitely."

"Well, I'll go, and I'll see you in the morning for coffee." He kissed her again.

"Okay. Good night."

"Yeah, night Arthur." Joella was bag.

"Night Joella." He waved to her.

"Can you get me some ice cream?"

"As long as you don't tell your mom."

"Deal." She sat at the table while Ariadne got out the ice cream.

"Here ya go."

"Ariadne, do you know who my daddy is?"

"No, I don't." Ariadne lied.

"I like Arthur, and I think he really likes you Ariadne."

"I like him too."

* * *

_I'm not sure what I think about this chapter. Review if you like. Thanks. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks to all of you for your reviews. Launa White you were right!_

_I thought I was going to update before now, but the chapter ended up being longer than I thought. Enjoy!_

* * *

"I'm glad you got your sedatives in." Eames griped to Yusuf.

"Why is that?"

"Because now you will bloody shut up about it."

"Eames, what is your problem?" Cobb asked.

"Nothing a good drink won't cure." Eames grumbled as he grabbed his coat and walked out.

"Geez Eames. Watch where you're going." Ariadne fussed when he ran smack into her.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"Hey, what's wrong? You've been more belligerent then usual."

"You would think I'm crazy." He admitted. He felt vulnerable. Nothing else was working for him. Not even his nightly drinks.

"I've seen some pretty crazy stuff lately." She laughed.

"I, I can't." He shrugged it off. She could tell something was wrong. He wasn't himself.

"Can't or won't?"

He didn't say anything. He started walking away.

"It's Cassie isn't it?"

He stopped.

"Your behavior changed after you saw her that day."

"The least she could have done was to pretend she was glad to see me. Maybe it was too much to ask for. I can't dream anymore, but I still imagine I'm with her. She's the most important thing that ever happened to me. And I left her."

"But, you thought…"

"It doesn't matter what I thought. I still left her."

"Eames, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault darling." He smiled and walked away.

"What's eating him?" Arthur asked.

"Cassie."

"I thought so." He wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm worried about him Arthur."

"He'll be fine." Arthur kissed her.

"Be nice Arthur."

"Oh come on, being a little lovesick is liable to do him some good."

"And do you think it would do you some good?" She teased.

"Uh, no." He blushed.

"That's what I thought."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know yet." She pulled him in for a kiss.

* * *

"So tell me what happened that day." Cobb looked at Cassie across the table.

"I died. At first I thought it was a dream, and I would wake up. Then I realized that I had woken up, and then was shot."

"What do you remember?"

"Voices. Noises. A lot of pain. I must have been shot at least 3 or 4 times."

"Six. It was six times." He said staring at the table.

"Oh. Okay. I didn't know how many. Not long after that I was in limbo." Somehow knowing the exact number of shots didn't make her feel better.

"But you weren't in a dream state."

"I know, but I felt like I was in limbo. Then the next thing I knew I woke up in a hospital room. Three days had gone by. They decided to save me. They ran all these blood tests to find out who I was. They discovered I was pregnant so they let me live. On one condition."

"What was that?"

"That I never try to track down my former team. If I did, they would kill you all, and make me watch." Tears welled in her eyes.

"Who was it?" Cobb asked casually.

"Cokeley." She whispered. Cobb looked up and swore under his breath.

"So that's who we're up against."

"Yeah."

"We wouldn't have let them kill us, or hurt you." Cobb smiled.

"How can you be so sure?" She looked up when the door blew open all by itself. A chill ran down her spine. "What have you done?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're dreaming aren't we?"

"Are we?"

* * *

Ariadne walked in the back room to find Eames, and saw Yusuf monitoring Cobb and Cassie both hooked up to the machine.

"What have you done?" She screamed.

"What do you mean?"

"She can't go under. The people who saved her put a chip under her skin. They'll find you all and kill you! I'm going in."

"No. Ariadne wait!" He said.

"No." She put the needle in her arm, and went to sleep.

"What is going on? Eames asked.

"She was screaming that I did something wrong. I can't concentrate when people are yelling at me!"

"She went in?"

"Yeah, it won't be easy to find them. Cobb, and Cassie are down deep.

"I'm going in after Ariadne. She doesn't need to be down there by herself." He sat in the chair next to her, and put the needle in his arm.

Eames found Ariadne sitting under an awning. It was windy and pouring rain. She had her arms around her knees and was rocking herself. She looked like a scared little girl.

"Come on, what say you we get out of the rain?" He held out his hand. She nodded. He helped her up. She threw her arms around his neck and burst into tears.

"What's this?" He hugged her.

"Cobb wasn't supposed to bring Cassie here. The people that saved her, they implanted a chip in her wrist. So that they could find her if she ever came here. Then they would know that she found her team."

"I don't understand."

"The reason she didn't come find you wasn't because she didn't want to. It was because if she did, they would kill you. All of you."

Eames didn't say anything. He just nodded. They looked up and saw people coming towards them. He turned his back to them, and gave Ariadne a quick kiss. It worked – the projections kept walking. "Come on love, oh, and it's best we don't tell Arthur about this." He winked. She rolled her eyes.

* * *

Ariadne knew they must have been walking for hours. Had to have been. The weather was only getting worse. She sneezed and shivered. Eames looked down at her concerned.

"Don't you get sick. 'Cause if you do Arthur will never forgive me." He joked.

"Okay. How much longer do we have to go?"

"I don't know. Yusuf said they were in deep."

"Do you think she knows?"

"We would have found them already." He looked at her. She looked exhausted. "Want me to carry you?"

"No, I'll be alright." She stopped and squinted. "There." She pointed. "That's where they are." She started running toward them.

"Ariadne, stop!" Eames ran after her. If she interrupted them Cassie might realize it's a dream and then they'd all be in trouble.

* * *

"Cassie!" Ariadne burst through the door.

"Ariadne? What are you doing here?" Cassie asked calmly. Ariadne realized she was out of place. The restaurant was full of Cassie's projections. They all stopped and looked at her.

"Sorry, I've just been running around in the rain looking for you."

"I see that. Forget your umbrella?" She raised an eyebrow. She almost knew she was dreaming. Almost. It was everything she could do to keep her subconscious in check. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Eames standing outside. Her heart jumped into her chest. The projections were getting restless. She handed Ariadne a note. "I forgot to give you my list so you could run my errands for me."

"Uh, yeah." Ariadne acted put out.

"I'm so sorry." Cassie smiled. Ariadne glanced at Cobb who hadn't said anything. Still nothing.

"I'll get right on these." She backed away from the table and walked back outside. She and Eames walked around the side of the building where they couldn't be seen. She unfolded the piece of paper. Cassie had written her a note. _"Ariadne, If you're reading this then it is too late to save me. I need you to do just one thing for me. I need you to get Joella. Keep her safe. And run! You must run Ariadne because they will never stop looking for both of you. Take care of my baby. Please. You are the closest thing to family that she has. Tell her everyday that I love her and that one day I will come back to her. One more thing. You should tell him. I was going to today, but I don't think I will be waking up anytime soon. He needs to know. Tell him I love him, and that I'm sorry." Cassie._ Ariadne folded the paper.

"We have to go."

"Alright." He seemed to understand without her having to explain that Cassie was barely able to hold the dream together. Hopefully Cobb got the information he needed.

* * *

"Arrrrr-thurrrr. I'm hungry." Joella whined. Miles had called Ariadne to come pick up Joella, and since Ariadne was dreaming that left Arthur.

"Miles said he fed you lunch." He looked at her sternly.

"Yeah, but it's snack time." She said sheepishly. Arthur rolled his eyes. He never liked being around kids. Although if he had to admit it – this one was growing on him.

"I'll get you something when we're done here. After Ariadne wakes up."

"So they're sleeping?" She slid off the desk. She walked over to Ariadne and lifted up her eyelid. "That looks creepy." She shuddered. She did the same to Eames, Cobb, and Cassie.

"Joella, leave them alone." Arthur sighed.

"By the way, Ariadne said you have pretty eyes." She grinned. Arthur blushed.

"She told you that?"

"Well, she said it in her sleep."

"You watch people when their sleeping don't you?" He raised an eyebrow. The little girl just laughed. Yusuf laughed too. "Don't encourage her." Arthur warned.

"It's time for Ariadne and Eames to wake up." Yusuf said as he started the music. Ariadne woke up first. She went over to Cassie and took the note from her hand. The same note that Ariadne had read in the dream. She sighed, and rubbed her face with her hands. She didn't want to be the one to tell him.

"Hi Ariadne." Joella waved. She was eating trail mix that Arthur found for her and listening to classical music to keep her quiet.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Miles had to go somewhere, and since you were sleeping Arthur was nice enough to come get me." She said loudly over her music.

"That was very nice of him." She kissed Arthur's cheek and handed him the note. About that time Eames woke up.

"Ariadne would you please tell me what is going on?" The sedative had made him dizzy. He glanced over at the desk and saw Joella eating his trail mix. "Who's that?" He asked.

"She's Cassie's daughter."

"What's her name?"

"I think you already know. Don't you?" She smiled.

He nodded and walked over to her. He tapped her headphones. She took them off and looked up at him. It was like looking in a mirror. "Hi." She smiled.

"You ate my trail mix." _"What the Hell was that Eames?"_ He kicked did he even say that? He was nervous. Surely she knew who he was. She wouldn't care if he was nervous.

"Oh, oops!" She giggled. "Well, Arthur gave it to me. It was snack time, and I was hungry." She smiled. She seemed like she was a happy child.

"Thanks for bringing me into it." Arthur said. Ariadne elbowed him.

"Know what I think?" Joella asked Eames completely ignoring Arthur.

"What's that?"

"I think I have your eyes." She said staring intently at him.

"I think you do too." He picked her up and hugged her.

"I found you." She giggled and kissed his cheek. "Did you know about me?"

"No. I didn't." He frowned. He wished that he had.

"Mommy said you were hard to find."

"We talked about having a kid. I told her if we ever had a little girl I wanted to name her Joella."

"That's my name!" She squealed with delight.

"Did she ever say anything about me?"

"Not much. She told me one time that she never got a chance to tell you about me. When is she going to wake up?"

"Soon." He smiled.

* * *

"What do you mean she won't wake up?" Eames asked. He glanced down at Joella who was sleeping in his lap. "Because of the chip?"

"No, they gave her something that would react with any sedative once it was introduced into her body. She knew if she went under she would never wake up. She'll be in limbo." Ariadne said.

"How long?"

"Until we get her out." Arthur said. "Cobb is still in there. Maybe he can bring her out."

"And what if he can't?" Eames raised his voice. Joella stirred.

"I'll go in after both of them." Arthur said.

"Arthur, you can't. It's not safe." She pleaded. She grabbed his hands.

"Why do you get to be the hero Arthur?" Eames was sounding like his old self.

"Well, I, uh, I don't know." Arthur stammered.

"You have your woman." He grinned. Arthur and Ariadne blushed. "Give me a shot to get mine back. I lost her once. I can't lose her again. I'm not leaving her. I'll stay by her side until she wakes up."

"Goodnight Joella." Eames kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight Daddy." She yawned.

"Call if you need anything." Arthur told him.

"Try not to miss me darling." He winked.

Ariadne carried Joella down the hall to her room. "Goodnight baby." She whispered. She closed the door and walked to the living room. Arthur had loosened his tie and was standing over the kitchen counter.

"Is she still asleep?" He looked exhausted. Ariadne nodded. "Good. You should get some sleep." He kissed her forehead. "I'll stop by in the morning." He turned to leave.

"Will you stay here tonight?" She touched his arm. "Cassie did laundry this morning so all the sheets are clean. I just don't want to stay here alone tonight."

"I'll stay." He whispered.

* * *

_ I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions let me know, and reviews are always welcome. Thanks._


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks again for the reviews. _

* * *

Arthur woke up with the sun in his face. He thought he closed the curtains last night before he went to sleep. He looked up and realized there were no curtains. Then he remembered. He stayed with Ariadne last night. He rolled over and looked at her. She was still sleeping. Her hair was pooled around her face. She looked like an angel. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He quietly got out of bed and got dressed. He went in the bathroom and splashed water on his face. He looked in the mirror and wanted to scream. His hair was going every direction possible. Fixing it was hopeless. He'd have to go home and start all over. He walked out to the kitchen, and saw Joella mindlessly watching cartoons and eating cereal.

"Morning Arthur." She said. He guessed she heard him walk in. She turned around. "Arthur, you need to fix your hair!" She shrieked. There was no doubt in his mind that Eames was her father. If Eames had said that he would have told him off. Instead he just smiled. He noticed she was wearing glasses.

"I didn't know you wore glasses."

"Yeah, I forget to wear them sometimes. Don't tell Mommy 'cause she'll fuss at me." She frowned.

"I won't." Arthur smiled.

"Where are you going?"

"To get something at my apartment and fix my hair."

"Is Ariadne still sleeping?"

"Yeah." He opened the door to leave.

"Oh, Arthur?"

"Yeah?" He turned around.

"You snore."

* * *

"Hey Joella. Where's Arthur?" Ariadne sat down beside Joella.

"He had to get something at his apartment and fix his hair." She giggled. Ariadne smiled. She knew why Arthur's hair was a mess. She loved to mess it up. Just because it bothered him so much. She would run her hands through his hair while she kissed him. She giggled.

"What's so funny?" Joella looked up. Ariadne had forgotten she was there.

"Nothing. You're wearing your glasses."

"Yeah. I don't like to."

"How is your eyesight?"

"It's better when I wear the glasses. I guess that's the idea isn't?"

"Yeah it is." Ariadne smiled. "Hey, would you feel better if I wore mine too?"

"Really? You would do that?"

"Sure. I'll wear them, but just for you." She hugged her. "We will look fabulous." She walked back to get her glasses. She didn't need to wear them, but she did to help Joella feel better. As a toddler Joella would sometimes stand right in front of the TV so she could see. At least once a year she would get a new pair. Sometimes twice. The doctor couldn't explain the rapid worsening. Joella was oblivious to the fact that one day she wouldn't be able to see anymore. Cassie swore she was going to tell her when she was older, and would understand. Ariadne wondered if Cassie would ever get that chance.

"Ariadne, your phone is ringing. It's Arthur."

"Will you answer it for me? I'll be right out."

"Hi Arthur, Ariadne'll be out in a minute. Did you fix your hair?"

"Yeah I did." He laughed. "Will you give Ariadne a message for me?"

"Sure."

"Tell her I've got to take care of something else this morning, and ask her to meet me at the warehouse this afternoon."

"I will. Bye Arthur."

"What did he want?" Ariadne asked.

"He said he had to do something this morning, and wants you to meet him this afternoon at the warehouse."

"Okay, thanks. How do you like the glasses?"

"They look great!"

* * *

Ariadne dropped Joella off at the babysitter's. "Okay, be good, and Uncle Charlie will pick you up later okay?"

"Okay. Bye Ariadne. I love you." She hugged her.

"I love you too Joella." Ariadne couldn't help but feel a little uneasy dropping Joella off. She kept think of Cassie's note. Arthur had assured her that they were safe. She hoped they were. She had talked to Arthur again. Cobb and Cassie still hadn't woken up. Eames was still there, but he was asleep.

* * *

"Hey." She greeted Arthur and Yusuf.

"Hey, nice glasses!" Yusuf said.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"I didn't know you wore glasses." Arthur grinned.

"I don't really, but it makes Joella feel better to know that she isn't the only one wearing them."

"I saw hers this morning."

"Yeah, she's had glasses since she was two. She has a degenerative eye condition."

"Oh my gosh. That's horrible."

"Yeah, it is. How is he?" She looked at Eames.

"He was awake when I got here. He said he had been up all night. I promised I'd stay here while he slept."

"That's so sweet of you Arthur." She kissed his cheek.

All the sudden Cobb gasped and sat up. He was awake. He pulled the needle out of his arm.

"What happened in there?" Arthur asked.

"We wandered for a while. She told me she couldn't wake up, but that I could. She had a gun and she shot me."

"Who are we up against?" Eames asked, suddenly wide awake.

"Cokeley."

"Dear God…" Eames said.

"Ariadne, why are you still here?"

"I wanted to make sure you both were okay."

"Where is Joella?"

"At the babysitter's." Her heart sunk. "Why?"

He was going to answer, but then Cassie woke up, gasping for air, and tugging at the needle in her arm. "Get it out." She mumbled. Eames carefully pulled it out, and held her hand. She was awake. Relief washed over their faces. Cassie stood up, but her legs went out from under her. Eames caught her and set her in the chair. "I hate that feeling. Going in and coming out." She rubbed her face. "How long were we under?"

"24 hours." Yusuf replied.

"What happened after you shot me?" Cobb asked. "Get bored and shoot yourself?"

"Not quite." She glared at him. "Cokeley showed up. He told me I'd wake up. Then he shot me. Have I said how much I hate that feeling?" She was more out of sorts this time than she was the first time she came out. "I think I'm going to be sick." She sat down.

"Just take it easy." Cobb said.

"Are you alright?" Eames sat down beside her.

"Where you here the whole time?"

"Yes. I wasn't going to leave you this time. If you didn't wake up today I was going to come in after you."

"That's sweet." She blushed. "I never blamed you for leaving before. I know I said that you guys should have taken my body with you, but…"

"I went back later."

"You what?"

"I went back later, and your body wasn't there."

"I've missed you. I wanted to call you so many times, but I couldn't."

"I know. Ariadne told me. She also said…" She pressed her lips to his, and wrapped her arms around him. He pulled her into his lap, and into a deeper kiss that made Arthur and Ariadne blush. They walked out and closed the door behind them.

* * *

_Please review. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Thanks!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you for your kind words! This chapter is shorter._

* * *

Eames and Cassie walked out of the back room both with silly grins on their faces.

"I told you being lovesick would do him some good." Arthur whispered to Ariadne. She rolled her eyes.

Cassie's cell phone rang. She saw the number and bit her lip. "What do _you_ want?" She asked putting it on speaker.

"Well is that any way to greet me?" Cokeley asked. "I thought you'd be happy considering I let you wake up."

"You are so kind hearted."

"Yes, I am. Well, I didn't want to leave your daughter without a mother. Oh, I also hear that she is losing her eyesight. Is that true?"

Eames looked at Cassie. She blinked, and swallowed hard.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Leave her out of this." She motioned for Ariadne to call Charlie. Ariadne walked out.

"Well, that's up to you. If you get me what I want I'll make sure she gets her eyesight back." She knew that was impossible. Even for a man like him.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, you know what I want." He sneered, and hung up the phone. She collapsed into the chair with her head in her hands.

"This is my fault." She muttered.

"Cassie, Joella is fine. Charlie picked her up an hour ago." Ariadne came back in.

"Oh thank God." She started crying. "Will you go get her for me? I need to see her."

"Of course." Ariadne hugged her.

"I'll go with you." Arthur said.

* * *

"Ariadne! You're still wearing your glasses!" Joella grinned.

"I promised I would." She picked her up. "Guess what?"

"What? Is my mommy awake?"

"She is, and she wants to see you!"

"Yay!"

"Do I want to know?" Charlie asked.

"No, you don't." Ariadne said.

"Alright, you think you can handle her while I'm gone to Germany?"

"I think so. What's in Germany?" She asked. His eyes lit up.

"Never mind, I don't want to know." She laughed.

She and Joella got in the car. "Hi Arthur."

"Hi Joella." He smiled at her in the rearview mirror.

"Do you like Ariadne's glasses?"

"Yeah, I told her they make her look sexy."

Joella giggled.

"Arthur! Don't encourage her." Ariadne pretended to be cross with him. He leaned over and kissed her.

* * *

"How does Cokeley know about Joella?" Eames asked her.

"He knows everything. He probably knows what each one of you had for breakfast last week."

"What's wrong with her Cassie? What's wrong with our baby?" Our baby. They both liked the sound of that.

"She has a degenerative eye condition. She's been wearing glasses since she was two."

"I haven't seen her glasses."

"Well, she is _supposed _to wear them. She doesn't really understand why. I've never told her that one day she'll be completely blind."

"What does Cokeley want?" Cobb interrupted.

"Your heads on a platter." She felt like being snarky.

"Oh is that all?" Eames asked sarcastically.

"So he wants revenge for the job we pulled." Cobb said cooly.

"And failed? Yes." She added.

"I can't believe this. So he saved you to get to us. Does he know about Ariadne?" Why was Cobb asking all of these questions?

"Yes! Damn it! What part of 'he knows everything' did you not understand?" She yelled at him. "The man has been inside my brain. He knows me better than I know myself."

"That's impossible." Cobb whispered.

"He has drilled down to the very core of my subconscious. I tried so hard to stop him, but I couldn't."

"It's not your fault." Eames said trying to calm her down. He shot Cobb a dirty look.

"I know. Sometimes I wish I had died instead of having him use me."

"Don't say that."

"He said if I found any of you he would kill you all. He knew how much I cared for you. How much I loved you." She looked at Eames. "He was going to kill you last and make me watch." She sputtered. He held her tight.

"There, there." He whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you. Or me." He grinned.

"Mommy!" Joella squealed.

"Hey Baby!" Cassie scooped Joella into her arms. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." She hugged her. "I'm glad you're awake now."

"Me too." She set Joella down who then jumped into Eames lap.

"Hi Daddy." She kissed his cheek.

"Hello Sweetheart." He hugged her.

"So Arthur, why did Joella see me dreaming?"

"She actually saw all of you dreaming."

"Why?" Cassie pressed.

"Miles called Ariadne to come pick up Joella. Since she was dreaming that left me, or Yusuf. So I went. I had to bring her back here because I didn't want to leave her at the apartment."

"Arthur gave me trail mix and let me listen to Beethoven." She said. Cassie gave Arthur a look.

"It was snack time! She was hungry and wouldn't quit talking." He blurted before he realized what he said. He covered his mouth.

"Are you saying I talk too much?" Joella glared at him.

"I, uh, I'm just not used to kids. That's all."

"Well, in that case Arthur, you snore." She shot back.

"Actually, you do." Ariadne said. He blushed.

"Ariadne, said that you have pretty eyes Arthur."

"When did I say that?"

"In your sleep. And Arthur, well I'm not going to repeat what you said." She smiled mischievously. Arthur turned crimson.

"Well, I think you have learned enough from Arthur." Cassie tried not to laugh.

"What did you say?" Ariadne asked him.

"I don't even know. Oh God." He racked his brain. It couldn't have been anything a five year old should hear. Ever.

"You're cute when you're flustered." She kissed him. "And you _do_ have pretty eyes." She whispered.

"Joella, you shouldn't be so exasperating." Cassie explained. "Leave poor Arthur alone."

"He's fun to pick on." She grinned. Oh, she was definitely Eames' daughter.

"What if he started picking on you? That wouldn't be very fun would it?"

"No, but he wouldn't pick on me 'cause I'm a little kid."

"Still, you need to be nice. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Here." Cassie put the headphones on her and let her listen to Beethoven again. She turned to Arthur.

"How does she know that you snore Arthur?"

"I asked him to stay last night. I was scared to stay by myself after I read your note."

"Which brings up something else, why didn't you take her and go like I said?"

"We figured it was safe." Arthur said. "We wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Safe? It is most definitely not safe Arthur. But I guess part of me is glad you stayed. So I could see Joella when I woke up."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

"That's alright Ariadne."

"So now what?" Arthur asked.

"I think I should kick Cobb's…" She looked down, and there was Joella. "Yes?"

"I'm hungry. But you can kick Cobb first if you want to." She smiled before putting the headphones back on. Cassie started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Eames asked.

"I need to call Cokeley." She laughed.

* * *

_I'll try to post again tomorrow sometime. I'm not sure if I'll be able to over the weekend... If you have any suggestions let me know. Thanks :) __Now off to Yoga! _


	7. Chapter 7

_Here is Chapter 7. Enjoy. :)_

* * *

"You don't know that I've found them." She told Cokeley.

"What are you talking about? Of course you've found them. I got in your dream and saw Cobb."

"Cokeley he was only a projection." She started laughing. "You assumed that I've seen them."

"Well, you have."

"No, I haven't. I haven't seen or heard from them in five years."

"You're lying."

"Honestly Cokeley, why would I lie to you?"

"I thought that you had found them."

"No, but I'm sure I could if I really tried."

"Oh really? Well then, find Cobb, and bring him to me."

"Deal."

"Good…"

"But first I want something from you."

"I really don't think you are in the position to make demands my dear."

"I know how to find Cobb. You do not. You _need_ me."

"Fine." He sighed. "What do you want?"

"You promised you would make sure my daughter got her eyesight back. How?"

"There is a new medicine that several doctors in Europe have been experimenting with. Some type of eye drops. They cost a pretty penny though. Her doctor in Paris should know something about it. Bring me Cobb, and I'll give you the money to pay for it. Two hundred thousand Euros should do the trick."

"Wire the money first. Otherwise, how will I know that you will stay true to your word?"

Cokeley laughed. "I didn't think it would be so hard to argue with you."

"Shall I give you the account number or do you want to _try _to find Cobb yourself?"

Cokeley knew he would never be able to find Cobb on his own. He sighed. "What's the number?"

* * *

"I have heard of such a treatment." Joella's doctor began. "I haven't mentioned it before now because of the risks involved." Risks. Of course Cokeley wasn't going to tell her that there were risks.

"What sort of risks? Does it not work?"

"Oh, it works. In fact I've seen conditions worse than Joella's improve in a few months." He sighed. "But, the risk of severe infection is high."

"What do you mean?"

"The drops work, but they weaken your immune system. It would put her at a great risk. She's so young. I hesitate to tell you what to do."

"Thank you Doctor."

"And Cassie? The drops are very expensive."

"I, I, have the money now. I'll let you know." Cassie hung up the phone.

"That didn't sound good." Ariadne said.

"The drops work, but she'll be at a high risk of developing severe infections. I don't know what I should do."

"Ask Eames what he thinks."

Cassie looked up at her and grinned. "I will. I forget that I don't have to make all the decisions about Joella by myself." She stretched out on the couch. "Did they say anything about what they were doing?"

"No. I think they thought if they told me I would tell you." She smiled. Cassie laughed.

"They know me so well."

"So how did it happen? You and Eames?"

"You know how much of a pill he can be, but he can be sweet when he wants. Eames was there the first time I woke up after a shared dream with Cobb. I was confused, dizzy, and sick. I got up, and fell over, but he was there to catch me." She smiled. "It seemed to make sense – the two of us. I'm sure the others knew, or at least had an idea. I lost myself Ariadne. I let my feelings for him distract me. That's why things fell apart that day. I was distracted. He got shot in the dream, and I freaked out. I lost focus."

"I had no idea."

"Arthur is a sweetheart. I can tell how much you two care for each other. Just be careful that you don't let the same thing happen to you that happened to Eames and me. You can do whatever you like, but when you enter a dream – feelings and emotions in the real world have to be put in check. You have to keep control of your subconscious. You can't just let it do whatever it wants. That's how you end up dead." She paused for a moment. "Besides. I don't want something to happen to you or Arthur and both of you be lost for five years."

"I can't imagine what that was like. I'm sorry I didn't understand." Ariadne used to fuss at Cassie for going on first dates, but never a second.

"It was my fault for not telling you. I always saw his face. I knew I could never be with anyone else. One day you'll realize that. My guess is that it will be Arthur."

"Can you still dream?" She changed the subject.

"Sometimes, and when I do, I dream of Eames."

"I dream about jobs we've gone on. Every smile, every look, every kiss from Arthur." She sighed.

"I think you already know that Arthur is the only one for you. Does he feel the same way?"

"I, I, think so. I don't really know."

"I've seen the way he looks at you. Besides, Joella told me what Arthur said."

"Was it bad?"

"No." Cassie chuckled.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"No, you need to hear him tell you." She grinned.

* * *

"Good afternoon." A man sat down at the table with Arthur and Ariadne.

"Can we help you?" Arthur asked.

"Arthur right?" The man looked at him.

"What do you want?" Arthur glared. Ariadne's stomach started turning. Something was very wrong.

"I need to speak Cobb. Can you put me in touch?"

"Who are you?"

"An old friend." He smiled. Ariadne didn't like him. His voice sounded familiar. Cokeley!

"I'm afraid we haven't seen Cobb in several years." Ariadne spoke up. Arthur gave her a funny look.

"Ah, you must be Ariadne. Cassie thinks a lot of you. See, I know that you've seen Cobb. I just don't know where he is."

"Well, we don't know either." Arthur said simply.

"Well, we can do this one of two ways." Cokeley pulled out a gun and set it on the table. "Either you can tell me here or I'll shoot you. Or I'll drag you into the dream world and shoot you there."

"I'll just wake up."

"Not if your 3 layers down like the Fischer job. So what will it be?"

"I can't tell you what I don't know."

"Fine then the dream world it is. Let's go." He grabbed Arthur's arm, and pulled him up. Ariadne didn't move. She wanted to scream at him, and make him let Arthur go. But Cokeley had a gun. He would only end up shooting them both. "Ariadne, tell Cobb that if he ever wants to see his point man again then he needs to talk to me. Understood?"

"Yes." She nodded. She watched helplessly as Arthur left with Cokeley. After they were out of sight she pulled out her phone.

"Cassie?" Ariadne's voice was shaky.

"Ariadne, what's wrong?"

"He took Arthur."

* * *

_I might post again tomorrow, if not I will Sunday night. Let me know what you think. Suggestions are always welcome. Thanks!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

* * *

Arthur tried to sit up, but he was too dizzy.

"Don't worry." Cokeley said. "The side effects will wear off soon enough."

"What did you give me?"

"The same sedative I gave Cassie. Soon enough I'll be able to get to the core of your subconscious too." He smiled wickedly.

Arthur wanted to protest, but his head was spinning.

"If you are wondering how I found you. Cassie told me."

"She would never."

"Do you have a child Arthur?"

"No."

"Then you don't know what it's like. As a parent you will do anything for your children. Anything. Think about it Arthur, as a child, what did your parents do for you?"

Arthur didn't remember much about his childhood. He hadn't thought about his parents in a while. He hadn't seen them since before he started working with Cobb. The vague memories that he did have seemed to be happy.

"So is that why you do what you do?" He asked Cokeley.

"Do you remember the job when you lost Cassie?"

Arthur nodded.

"Cobb was to extract something from my subconscious. He was hired by my ex-wife. He never got the information, but he told her that I killed Cassie. She won the custody battle and took my children from me. I have been trying ever since to get them back."

"This isn't the way to do it."

"I haven't been left with many other options."

"Why Cobb?"

"Because of him, I lost everything!" He yelled. "I want him dead!"

"I don't know where he is!"

"Cassie says you do. I paid her two hundred thousand Euros. Her daughter can get her eyesight back, and I get Cobb."

Arthur couldn't believe that Cassie would ever do that. Surely Cokeley was lying. His head wasn't spinning anymore, and the sickness seemed to have subsided. Cokeley had left the room leaving Arthur alone. He glanced up to the window. Could it really be that easy? He climbed out the window onto the ledge overlooking the river. As he dove off into the river he wished he had told Ariadne that he loved her.

* * *

"What is he going to do to Arthur?" Ariadne asked, her cheeks stained with tears.

"Pump him full of the same sedative he used on me. So that he can drill down to the core of his subconscious like he did me. And convince him that the rest of his team doesn't care about him."

"Arthur knows that's not true!"

"I know, but it's hard to believe otherwise."

"Do, do you think he'll kill him?" Ariadne stuttered.

"No. As long as he doesn't have Cobb he'll keep Arthur alive. Don't you worry." She smiled. She tried to hide the worry on her face. She knew what Cokeley was up to. He was pissed at her over the money, and now he was taking it out on Arthur. She sighed.

"What's wrong?" Eames asked her. She didn't realize her sigh had been that loud.

"I need to see Cokeley."

"Why?" Eames was surprised.

"I don't know. Maybe it will do some good. He's pissed that I have the money, but haven't given him Cobb."

"What money?" Eames asked raising an eyebrow. She realized she hadn't told him.

* * *

Cobb sat in the warehouse absently twirling his top. He had a good idea why Cokeley wanted him. He was worried about Arthur, but he knew the point man could take of himself.

* * *

_I know this is short, and I apologize. I wanted to update real quick._

_I'm wondering if Arthur has escaped or does he wake up in another dream when he hits the water? What do you think?_

_Hopefully I'll be able to update tomorrow. Thanks!_


	9. Chapter 9

__

Okay, so it took longer for me to update than I thought. On the plus side I had an incredible weekend!

_Thanks to -ChocoCookie- for the idea about the hospital. _

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me about this before now?" Eames was irritated with Cassie for not telling him about the money.

"I didn't think about it to tell you the truth." She sighed. "You have to remember that I've made all the decisions about Joella for the past five years."

"You say that like it's my fault. In all fairness I thought you were dead." He crossed his arms.

"No. That's not how I meant it. Although, you did get me pregnant."

Eames looked surprised that she said _that_. It was so unlike her. "I don't remember you protesting at the time." He said, a smirk twitching at his lips.

Ariadne stifled a snort.

Cassie laughed. "You make me laugh Darling." She kissed him. "In all seriousness, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I've been on my own for five years, and I tend to forget that you are back in the picture now." She was hesitant. She never actually asked him if he even wanted to be in the picture.

"But I am in the picture." He smiled. "I'm here to stay Darling."

"Thanks. What should I do about the money?"

"Keep it. He was stupid enough to give it to you on faith anyway. Save it until the bugs get worked out of the eye drops."

"Eye drops? So I don't have to wear glasses anymore?" Joella beamed.

"That's right!" Cassie hugged her.

"Why can't I have them now?"

"Because they might make you sick."

"Oh. Okay. When's Arthur coming back?" She asked. Ariadne covered her mouth and ran out.

"Soon sweetheart." Eames smiled at her.

They all hoped it was soon. Cassie had tried unsuccessfully to reach Cokeley. She knew it was time to start looking in the hospitals. It had been two days. Arthur should pop up in the next twenty four hours. If the sedative wasn't out within three days she would have to start checking the morgue. This was her fault. She couldn't let that happen to Arthur. She wanted to spare him and Ariadne the pain that she and Eames had experienced.

"Hello?" Cassie expected Cokeley. Wrong. "Yusuf, slow down! What? Where?" She scribbled down an address on a piece of paper. "Okay. I'll meet you there." She hung up the phone and grabbed her coat.

"Where's Yusuf?" Eames asked.

"He's been monitoring admissions at American Hospital of Paris." She looked up at him. "He found Arthur."

"He did? Fantastic! Should I wake up Ariadne?" He glanced over to the chair where Ariadne and Joella were sleeping.

"No, just let them both sleep." She knew Ariadne hadn't slept since Cokeley had taken Arthur.

"Is he okay?"

"He's babbling, and incoherent. That's how I was."

"Any sign of Cokeley?"

"Not yet." Cassie smiled weakly. She knew that Cokeley would show up. Eventually.

* * *

Cassie and Eames met Yusuf at the Emergency Room entrance. He led them down the hall to Arthur's room.

"He's been sleeping for about twenty minutes. I actually don't know about the sleeping, but he's been quiet at least. He seemed like he was in pain."

"He probably was. The last twenty four hours are the worst." Cassie said. She leaned over and felt his head. "The fever is gone. The worst is over." She sighed.

"I'll call Ariadne." Eames said.

* * *

Arthur moaned. His eyes felt heavy. He could barely move. He felt seriously drugged. He thought that someone held his hand. He thought he could hear Ariadne's voice from a distance. _"Hang in there Arthur. You'll be alright. I promise." _Then nothing.

"Will he be alright?" Ariadne looked up at Cassie. She squeezed Arthur's hand.

"He'll be fine." She smiled.

"Will he be himself when he wakes up?" She asked hesitantly.

Cassie paused. She could tell Ariadne that he would be, but she didn't know. "I don't know. I hope so."

"Were you yourself?"

"No." Tears filled her eyes. "I'm going to talk to the doctor okay?"

Ariadne just nodded. She couldn't say anything. Cassie gave her a weak smile and walked out.

The doctor had been Cassie's doctor five years before. He assured Cassie that Arthur would be fine. Now she had to wait 'til Arthur woke because there was no convincing Ariadne.

* * *

_Again, sorry it was so long between updates. Hopefully I'll update tomorrow. Let me know what you think. Thanks!_


	10. Chapter 10

_So I was going to post last night, but I wasn't happy with the chapter. I've fixed it, and am now more content. P.S. I still own nothing. Except Cassie and Joella. They were my idea._

* * *

Arthur woke up to the setting sun in his eyes. He squinted. He thought he saw Ariadne sitting in the chair.

"Ariadne?" He whispered.

"Arthur!" She was at his side in a second. "You're awake." She grinned.

"Yeah." He groaned as he tried to sit up.

"Take it easy." She helped him.

"How did I get here?" He drank some water.

"I don't know. Somehow you got here. What do you remember?"

"Cokeley was interrogating me. He left the room for something and I jumped out the window into the river. Next thing I know I'm here. How long has it been?" He rubbed his head.

"Three days. I was so worried about you." She squeezed his hand.

"Thanks Ariadne, but I'm fine." He pulled his hand away.

"Oh." She whispered. "Okay, fine. You don't want to see me. I'll leave." She stood up.

"Ariadne, wait." He sighed. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm tired, and my head hurts. I'm sorry."

"I should still go. I need to call Cassie." She smiled and stepped out of the room.

Arthur sighed. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He asked himself. He could vaguely remember wanting to tell her something.

* * *

"Dom, Arthur's awake." Cassie said when she got off the phone with Ariadne.

"Is he himself?" He asked.

"No." Cassie said. "Ariadne is upset. I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen. She shouldn't have been there when he woke up. I couldn't convince her to believe me."

"Cassie, it's not your fault." Cobb put his hand on her shoulder. She was surprised. Cobb was usually physically distant.

"It is my fault. Cokeley is pissed at me over the money." She looked down at her phone to read a message from Eames.

"Call him and tell him you've found me." He said calmly. Cassie's head jerked up.

"He'll kill you."

"Maybe I just have to kill him first." Cobb smiled.

"If only it were that easy." Cassie chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll never see Cokeley."

"How do you know so much about him Cassie?" He crossed his arms, and looked suspicious.

"He didn't get to the core of my subconscious without me learning a thing or two about him. I don't know him as well as he knows me, but I'm close." She smiled.

* * *

"Hi Arthur!" Joella grinned.

"Hey Joella." Arthur smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you."

"Thanks kiddo."

"Did you hit your head?" She pointed at the bandage on his forehead.

"Maybe. I don't remember." He frowned. "Has Ariadne cheered up at all?"

"I don't think so. She seems really upset. What did you do?"

"What do you mean what did _I _do?"

"Mommy always says when a woman is upset, it's because a man did something stupid. So what did you do?"

"She held my hand and I pulled away. I don't know why I did, but I did. I told her I was sorry. She hasn't talked to me since she left to call Cassie."

"Oh. Hmm."

"What do you know?"

"Nothing. Did you tell her what you said you would?"

"I don't think so. I don't know what I was supposed to say."

"You were going to tell her that you loved her Silly!"

"Oh yeah. She probably hates me now."

"She doesn't hate you Arthur. You just can't be snippy. You'll hurt her feelings."

He laughed. She was right. When did he start taking advice from five year olds? He gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.

"What was that for?" She hugged him.

"Thanks." He smiled.

"You're welcome."

"Hey Joella, can I talk to Arthur for a minute?" Cassie asked.

"Sure." Joella skipped out.

"Cassie what's wrong with me?"

"It's the sedative. It will wear off."

"I snipped at Ariadne. Now she won't talk to me."

"I told her not to."

"What? Why would you do that?" He raised his voice.

"I knew you wouldn't be yourself when you woke up."

"How did you know that?" He was confused.

"I wasn't myself when I woke up. Cokeley poisoned my mind. He poisoned yours too."

"He…"

"I know what he said. He told you that I gave you up. He said that he paid me for it – that a parent will do anything for their child. And he said that your team wouldn't come find you – that they didn't care about you."

"He didn't say that last bit."

"I'm sorry Arthur. It's my fault. I told him I'd give up Cobb if he let me know how Joella's eyesight could be corrected. He wired me the money for the medicine and in return I was to track down Cobb. He knew he couldn't do it himself. I didn't know he would track you down."

"How did he?"

"I don't know. How did you get away from him?"

"He walked out of the room. I jumped out the window into the river."

"Good thinking."

"Do you think you could get Ariadne to talk to me?"

"I'll see what I can do." She grinned.

"Cassie, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it Arthur. You'll be fine." She walked out.

* * *

"You should get some sleep." Ariadne told Arthur.

"I know, but I wanted to talk to you first." He smiled. She could try, but she could never succeed at being mad at him for very long. His smiled melted her. Cassie had told her what Cokeley did to him. She knew what he had done to Cassie's brain. Thankfully, Cokeley didn't have enough time with Arthur. She sat down on the side of his bed.

"Then let's talk." She smiled.

He squeezed her hand. "There was something I was going to tell you before…" He paused and scrunched his nose.

"What?" She looked concerned.

"I, I love you Ariadne." He blushed at his admission.

"Oh Arthur!" She beamed. "I love you too!" She kissed him.

* * *

_So the end was kinda fluffy. I hope you liked it. Don't worry, Cokeley will meet his end. Somehow... Reviews are fabulous!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Sorry it's taken so long to update. I had some issues with this chapter. I had another idea pop in my head so I've been working on that also._

* * *

"Oi! You two!" Eames teased. "Knock it off already." He sat down on the couch across from Arthur and Ariadne who _had_ been kissing until he walked in.

"And did we tell you to knock it off after Cassie came out of her dream?" Arthur quipped.

"Well, no." Eames grinned at Cassie. She rolled her eyes. "She never could resist my charms." He kissed her.

"Ha!" Cassie laughed. "I could if I wanted to."

Ariadne laughed softly. She leaned her head against Arthur's shoulder. She was thrilled that he was safe. The only time he was out of her sight was when she was sleeping. Even then, he was sleeping beside her with his arms around her waist.

"Have you heard from Cokeley?" Arthur asked Cassie.

Ariadne shuddered. "Don't say his name Arthur." She whispered.

"I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead.

"I haven't heard from him. I don't know if I will."

"Will he try anything again?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

"I don't know. He might." She didn't know what to expect from Cokeley. Not anymore anyway. He had nabbed Arthur in broad daylight in the middle of Montmartre. He proved he was capable of anything. She rubbed her face with her hands. She was trying not to let her fear show.

* * *

"Mommy?"

"Yeah Baby?"

"Will you come tuck me in?" Jollea popped her head around the corner.

"Sure." Cassie stood up.

"Goodnight guys." Joella waved.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I was, but I had a nightmare."

"Do you want me to sit up with you?"

"I think I'm okay now. I saw that you guys were all okay." She crawled back in her bed.

"What do you mean?" Cassie sat down on the edge of the bed.

"In my dream you guys were all gone. Someone took you guys, but I don't know who."

"Well, as you can see we are all still here, and we're fine."

"Yeah, good thing it was just a dream, and it's not real. Right?"

"Right Sweetheart." Cassie smiled. She kissed her forehead. "Sleep well. I love you."

"I love you too Mommy."

* * *

"Is she alright?" Eames asked as Cassie sat back down.

"She had a nightmare. That someone took us and she was left alone."

"Poor thing."

"Cokeley is in her dreams."

"What? How is that possible?"

"It's not. I mean, she is dreaming of him he's not actually _in_ her dreams. It's my fault."

"It's not your fault love." Eames kissed her. "So stop saying it is." He said softly.

"Alright."

"So how are we going to take Cokeley down?" Arthur asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll try to call him tomorrow. Then I'll talk to Cobb." She stood up. "I'm going to bed." She winked at Eames, and walked to her room.

"That's my cue." Eames grinned at Arthur and Ariadne. He hopped up and followed Cassie. "Now that we're gone you two can back to snogging." He teased.

"I have to admit that's not a bad idea." Arthur smirked at Ariadne.

"Come here." She grinned and pulled him down on top of her.

* * *

Cokeley tapped his fingers on his desk. He knew better than to give Cassie the money ahead of time. He didn't really believe she would turn Cobb over so easily. He wasn't surprised. But he was surprised at how she handled herself when he took Arthur. He thought she would have panicked a bit more. She had called several times, but he ignored them. Her messages were calm. She simply asked him to call her back. He didn't. He was angry that Arthur escaped so easily. Apparently he hadn't given him enough of the sedative. He smiled. Cassie probably thought he was still in Paris. He wasn't, but that didn't mean he couldn't still keep tabs on her.

* * *

Cassie tried again to reach Cokeley, and once again got his voicemail. "This is not good." She muttered.

"What do you mean?" Cobb asked.

"He's never ignored my calls before."

"You call him often?" Cobb raised an eyebrow.

She realized how it must have sounded. "No, that's not what I meant."

"How close are you to Cokeley?" He whispered.

"Closer than I'd like to be."

"When did you last see him?"

"It's been at least two years. Maybe three." She thought a moment. "No, three. Joella had just gotten her glasses. He popped at the University one day. He wanted to know if I had seen you."

"He didn't call?"

"He can only tell if I'm lying if he can see my face."

"You should borrow Eames' poker face." He joked.

The joke fell flat. "Maybe I should." She pursed her lips.

"Look!" Joella said. She was wearing goggles and had smudges on her face. She held up a test tube filled with a blue liquid.

"What are you doing?" Cassie said trying to wipe the smudges off.

"Yusuf is teaching me chemistry. Although, it's supposed to be pink." She swirled the liquid in the tube. "I guess the centrifuge didn't work." She scrunched her face. "Oh well." She skipped back to Yusuf's lab.

"Be careful." Cassie called. She picked up her coat. "I'll be back in a bit. I have to take a stack of books to Miles."

Eames looked up from his work. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"You don't have to. I know you have a lot of work to finish." She smiled.

"Alright, well be careful."

"I will."

* * *

Cassie unlocked her apartment door and walked inside. She flipped on the light and screamed.

"Shit!" She grabbed her chest as if that would calm her pounding heart.

"You don't seem too happy to see me." Cokeley smiled.

* * *

_I hope you liked it. Thanks for all of the reviews and ideas. As always ideas and reviews are awesome! Thanks!_


	12. Chapter 12

"How did you get in here?" Cassie demanded.

"Through the door." Cokeley replied. "I thought you would have expected me."

"Somehow I have never gotten used to you showing up in my apartment. Oh, and I'm _not_ happy to see you." She glared at him.

"Fine." He shrugged. "I could care less."

"Then why are you here?"

"You didn't live up to your end of the bargain."

"You cheated. You took Arthur!" She shot back.

"Touché."

"You didn't give me a chance. Why did you take Arthur? Oh wait, you doubted me. Didn't you?"

"I did not doubt."

"Oh yes you did." She smiled. "I can't believe _you_ would doubt _me_." She sat down across from him.

"I doubted your ability to find Cobb that quickly. So I decided to give you an incentive."

"But you don't have that incentive anymore. Do you?"

"Apparently I didn't give Arthur enough of the sedative."

"Apparently." She mused.

"I still have incentives."

"Oh, I'm sure you do. So you thought you would just pop in and say hello? What do you want Cokeley?"

"We've been over this. I want Cobb."

"Yeah I know, and I want you dead but I guess neither of us will get what we want."

"How do you figure?"

"Well I can't get kill you in my apartment."

"What?"

" Too messy. I'd have to explain too much to the land lady. First I'd have to kill you. Then I'd have to dispose of your body somehow. Then I'd have to clean up all the blood. It's just better if we don't go there."

"Well, that complicates things doesn't it? The 'you wanting me dead' part."

"That's life, and life's not fair." She said simply.

"No. It's not. But I think I've been more than fair."

"You? Fair?" She asked in amazement.

"Yes. I have been more than patient with you Cassie. You have 24 hours. Give me Cobb or you get to decide which one of your friends will die."

"I, I can't find Cobb that quick. You know I can't." She started feeling panicky.

"Well here's an incentive. Whoever you choose will die by your hand."

"What? No!" She jumped up.

"You are not in a position to be arguing with me my dear. 24 hours…" He looked at his watch. "Starts now. I will be waiting for your call." He smiled his usual evil smile and walked out.

* * *

"What is taking Cassie so long?" Eames muttered.

"She did say she'd be a while." Ariadne said.

"I know, but something feels wrong. She's been gone too long. I should have gone with her."

"What's wrong?" Cobb walked out of his office.

"Cassie's not back yet, and Eames is worried." Ariadne said.

"You know how Miles is. He'll talk your ear off if you're not careful."

"I know." Eames shrugged. He was still worried. Something just wasn't right.

* * *

"Hey Cass." Ariadne looked up when Cassie walked in. "Oh God, what's wrong?" Ariadne stood up. Cassie had been crying and she was white as a ghost.

"Um… I…" She stopped and shook her head.

"Eames!" Ariadne called him.

"What?" He stuck his head out of Cobb's office. Ariadne pointed at Cassie.

"What happened Love?" Eames slipped his arm around Cassie's waist. She sniffled.

"Cokeley showed up. He was waiting for me in my apartment."

"How the Hell did he get in?"

"I don't know."

"I should have gone with you."

"He would have killed you." She stifled a laugh. _"Why am I always laughing at inappropriate moments?"_

"What's so funny?" He took a step back.

"I told him I wanted him dead." She giggled. "I could have killed him, but I didn't. I told him I didn't want the mess in my apartment." She sputtered. "I'm sorry." She started crying.

"Darling what's wrong?" He hugged her.

"I hate him, and I want him dead. I could have killed him, but I couldn't bring myself to get my gun out and pull the trigger." She sobbed. "What's wrong with me?" She blurted. "I just…" Eames interrupted her with a kiss.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Anytime." He grinned.

* * *

"So Cokeley still wants me dead?" Cobb asked.

"Yeah."

"What's new?" He rolled his eyes.

"I have 24 hours." She looked at her watch. "Actually make that 22 hours."

"Then what?"

"He'll make good on his original threat. Only I have to pick which one of you dies. And I have to pull the trigger." She rested her face in her hands.

"We won't let that happen." Eames placed his hand on her back.

"That's right." Cobb smiled. "We'll give him what he wants. Me."

"And then we'll kill the bastard." Arthur smiled.

"That might be hard." Cassie said.

"We didn't say it would be easy." Arthur looked puzzled.

"No, it might be hard because I'm pretty sure he has 9 lives." She smirked.

* * *

"I don't understand." Ariadne said as she watched Yusuf and Arthur scan the apartment for bugs.

"What's not to understand?" Yusuf said. "We've been over this a dozen times. You can't help plan the party. You are the distraction." They had come up with this plan for a party in case Cokeley had bugged the apartment.

"I know, but why?"

"Ariadne, please." Arthur said as he picked up a bug in the living room, and stepped on it. The bedrooms were clean. Well, clean of bugs anyway. Ariadne's room had clothes strewn everywhere. She shot Arthur a look. He grinned, but didn't say anything. "Well, that should do it." He handed the pieces to Yusuf.

"I don't want it." Yusuf backed away.

"Oh dear God. Fine." Arthur tossed the pieces in the trash.

"So the apartment is clean?" Ariadne asked.

"Of bugs? Yes." Arthur couldn't help but smile. She had walked right into that one.

"Very funny Arthur." She frowned.

He pulled her into his arms. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.

She rolled her eyes and giggled. "I can't stay mad at you." She draped her arms over his shoulders. "I love you too much." She kissed him.

"Okay, I'll see you two later." Yusuf said. "And I'll tell Eames and Cassie that it's safe to come by." He paused. "Should I hang a sock on the door?"

Arthur just pointed at the door.

"Okay. I'll just go now." Yusuf stammered and walked out.

* * *

_Towards the end of the chapter I realized I had no A/A whatsoever in this chapter. Let me know what you think. Thanks. :)_


	13. Chapter 13

_Thanks for all the reviews! They make me smile. :)_

_P.S. I own nothing..._

* * *

Cassie stared at the clock on the nightstand. _"1 am. Great."_ She couldn't sleep. She could hear Eames breathing quietly. Peaceful. _"ASLEEP!"_ She was irritated. She knew Arthur was sleeping. She could hear him snoring from Ariadne's room. If she had the energy she would walk in there and nudge him. Or knock him out of the bed. She smiled at the thought. She was still shaken by Cokeley's visit. He had been in her apartment. She felt violated. He scared her and he had been in her space. When she got back to the apartment with Eames – she stripped the beds and washed all the sheets. Joella wondered why they were washing sheets. Again. Cassie had to think of a good reason. She told Joella that Arthur had a bug phobia. _"We have bugs?" She shrieked. "No Sweetheart, but Arthur thinks we do."_ She smiled and rolled over on her back.

"Will you go to sleep already?" Eames mumbled.

"I thought you were sleeping." She looked at him.

"Not when you are tossing and turning, and sure as Hell not when Arthur is snoring. I want to go and knock him out of that bed." He moaned.

Cassie giggled. "You and me both Darling."

"Then let's do it." He propped himself up on his elbow. He had a mischievous look on his face.

"This is a bad idea, but I like it." She jumped up.

Cassie opened the door. The light was on in the living room.

"Ariadne?"

"Hey Cassie." She smiled. "He won't shut up." She rolled her eyes.

"Eames has an idea."

"Oh, this I've got to see." She got up and followed Cassie.

Eames had crawled into bed next to Arthur. He was trying his best not to start laughing. He kissed Arthur's forehead.

"Ariadne, what?" Arthur mumbled.

"Guess again Love." Eames whispered.

"EAMES! What the Hell?" He shoved him.

Eames rolled out of bed laughing. Cassie and Ariadne giggled.

"NOT funny!" Arthur rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head.

"Oh Arthur. You know he likes to tease you." Ariadne rubbed his neck. "You were snoring."

"Next time nudge me."

"I did."

"Sorry."

"I love you."

He rolled over and looked up at her. "I love you too." He pulled her in for a kiss.

* * *

"So Ariadne, you'll take Joella. Keep her safe." Cobb said.

"I will. I promise."

"Cassie, Eames, Arthur and I will go see Cokeley."

"What about Yusuf?"

"Someone has to drive the getaway car." Yusuf grinned.

Ariadne laughed.

"Hey guys." Cassie walked in with Joella.

"Hello Love." Eames kissed Cassie, and picked Joella up.

"Hi Daddy." Joella kissed his cheek.

"Hi Sweetheart."

"I want to go with you guys. Mommy says I can't." She pouted.

"That's right. I'm sorry."

She huffed. "That's so not fair."

"If you're good I'll take you out to dinner. Just you and me."

"Okie dokie. I'll be good. I promise." She kissed his cheek.

"That's my girl." He set her down.

"Hi Arthur. Hi Yusuf. Hi Cobb." She waved to each of them.

They smiled and waved back.

"You ready to go have some fun?" Ariadne asked.

"Yeah. Are we gonna watch movies?"

"If you want to."

"YAY!" She jumped up and down.

"I love you Joella. Be good." Cassie hugged her.

"I will Mommy. I love you too."

* * *

"Ariadne?" Arthur whispered.

"Yeah?" She turned around.

"Here." He handed her his gun. "Just in case." He shrugged.

"Thanks." She smiled weakly, and placed the gun in her purse.

"The safety…"

"I've fired a gun before Arthur." She smiled.

"Okay. I didn't know if you had or not."

"Arthur, be careful." She hugged him.

"I will." He smiled. "Don't worry." He knew she would anyway.

"I'll try not to." She kissed him.

He pulled her closer as they kissed.

"Ya know what? I know this is supposed to be appealing, but I just don't see the point." Joella said.

Arthur and Ariadne pulled away and glared at Joella.

"What?" She said. "Mommy and Daddy were kissing so I figured I'd see what you two were doing." She shrugged.

Arthur's cheeks turned pink. Ariadne laughed. She gave Arthur a quick kiss, and scooped Joella up in her arms.

"Come on you crazy kid. Let's go watch some movies!" She grinned.

"Yay! Bye Arthur." She waved as Ariadne carried her out.

"Bye." Arthur waved.

Ariadne didn't say goodbye. Just in case. And just in case it was goodbye that was one Hell of a goodbye kiss. She smiled.

"You love Arthur don't you?"

"Yeah I do."

"He loves you too huh?"

"Yeah he does." She smiled, and hoped they would all be okay.

* * *

"Well, well." Cokeley looked at his watch and back at Cassie. "I guess I didn't really expect you to show up. And early on top of that." He smiled.

"Cokeley, I'm hurt. You really don't know me at all." She frowned.

"Did you bring Cobb?"

"Of course I did." She nodded at Arthur who pushed Cobb through the door.

"Dominic Cobb. We meet again." Cokeley smiled.

* * *

_ I am hoping to get the next chapter written and up before the weekend. Cross your fingers! Let me know what you think! Thanks! :)_


	14. Chapter 14

_Thanks again for the reviews! Y'all rock! :)_

* * *

"Ariadne?" Joella asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why am I so messed up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it because I'm on an only child?"

"You're not messed up."

"Yes I am. I'm an only child and my daddy wasn't around until recently."

"Wow Joella you are _so_ messed up." Ariadne rolled her eyes.

"Thank you."

"I was joking."

"Oh."

"You're not messed up. I promise."

"Would you tell me if I was?"

"Sure. Where is this coming from?"

"I don't know." She thought for a moment, and looked up at Ariadne. "They aren't coming back are they?"

"Who?"

"Mommy and Daddy. Arthur, Cobb, and Yusuf."

"What? No, of course they're coming back."

"I saw the way you and Arthur looked at each other. They're not coming back." Her bottom lip started to tremble.

"Yes they are." She pulled Joella in her lap and hugged her.

"Promise?"

"I promise." _"Don't let me down guys."_

"Do you think I need a sibling?"

"You definitely need a sibling." Ariadne grinned. "You should tell your parents when they get back."

"I will. Can I tell Arthur that he should marry you?"

Ariadne blushed. "Uh, um, I guess you can. That's a little awkward. Don't you think?"

"No more than what I've already told him." She had Eames' mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"You little devil. What have you told him?"

"It's a secret. I can't tell." She grinned.

"What if I ask Arthur to tell me?"

"You can't! That's not fair!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "You can kiss him, and he'll tell you anything you want."

"How do you know that?"

"Um, let's watch another movie." She picked up the remote.

* * *

Yusuf sat in the car. Waiting patiently, or trying to anyway. Patience wasn't his thing. He had to be ready to speed off when they came running out. He'd been waiting an hour. It wasn't supposed to take that long. He wanted to go see what was taking so long. Cobb had told him to stay in the car. He was about to get out when he heard gun shots. "This is very bad." He mumbled and got out of the car.

* * *

"What the Hell Arthur?" Cobb screamed.

"I don't know okay?" Arthur yelled back.

"I think this was a bad idea Cobb." Eames said. Cassie had slipped a drug in Cokeley's drink and they pulled him into the dream world. Everything seemed to be going well. Until Cokeley's projections started shooting at them.

"Maybe we should just let them shoot us and be done with it." Eames said.

"We can't. Yusuf said with this stuff if we die, 'limbo here we come'. Arthur said.

"Shit. You've got to be kidding me." Eames glared at Arthur.

"You know I never kid Eames." He sighed.

"So it's like the Fischer job all over again. Great."

"Yeah."

"I got it." Cassie came running around the corner. "This is what his ex-wife wanted us to find." She handed the paper to Cobb.

"This is good. Even with this she would have gotten full custody." Cobb said. "Cokeley had been declared insane, and was sent to a psychiatric facility. He stole medicine from the facility and escaped. His wife suspected something was wrong with him, but had no idea he was insane."

"It was too easy." Cassie said still trying to catch her breath.

"What do you mean?"

"He let me get it. He knows he's dreaming." She flinched when she heard more shots.

"We still have to wait for the kick. How much longer Arthur?"

"Five minutes."

"That's too long." Cassie said.

* * *

Yusuf quietly walked inside. They were all still under. Cokeley was handcuffed to his desk. He looked at Eames who was bleeding. "Damn it!" He muttered. He would have to initiate the kick early.

"Damn it that hurts!" Eames screamed. "I've forgotten what it's like to be shot in a dream. Hurt's like Hell." He groaned.

"It looks bad." Arthur said.

"Thank you Arthur for stating the obvious! I don't know what I'd do without you." He swatted a bloody hand at the point man.

Cassie stood there watching. Determined to stay focused and not freak out. She knelt down beside Eames. "Do you trust me?"

"What?" He sputtered. Gasping for air.

"Do you trust me?" She repeated. Tears filling her eyes.

"Yes."

"I love you." She kissed him.

"I love you too." He smiled.

"I will come find you. I promise."

"What? Cassie you can't." Arthur interrupted.

"Darling you trust me right?" She looked at Eames.

He nodded.

She pulled out her gun, and shot him. She sputtered as she watched his eyes glass over. She closed his eyelids. She knew it wasn't real, but by God it felt real. She pulled her thimble out of her pocket. It had a gold tint. In reality it was silver. She had shaved a part off so it had a dull glint which shone gold when she was dreaming. She put it back in her pocket and stood up.

"Let's go." Cobb said.

* * *

Eames gasped and sat up.

"What the Hell?" Yusuf exclaimed.

"She, she shot me!" He sputtered.

"What? And you didn't go into limbo?"

"Obviously not. I hate getting shot!" He winced at the lingering effects of the pain.

"Something must not have worked with the sedative." Yusuf frowned.

"Well, personally I'm glad I didn't go into limbo."

"Well I am too, but it means Cokeley will be waking up a lot sooner than we'd like." He put the headphones on Cobb, Cassie, and Arthur. "Time to wake up." He whispered.

Cobb woke up first. He pulled the needle out of his arm. He smiled when he saw Eames. "Nice to see you with no blood." He smirked. Eames rolled his eyes.

Arthur woke up and looked at Cassie who was still asleep. He pulled the needle out and sat up.

They all watched – waiting for Cassie to wake up.

"How long is it going to take?" Eames asked impatiently.

"I don't know." Yusuf said calmly.

Cassie screamed as she sat up and grabbed her stomach. She looked down at her hands relieved to find no blood. She pulled the needle out of her arm. She sat still for a moment; trying to calm her nerves, and lower her blood pressure. She took deep breaths. Finally she looked up at them and smiled.

"I'm glad I didn't send you into limbo." She kissed Eames.

"That makes two of us. What happened in there?"

"I got shot. I'm glad I wasn't shot after I woke up." She tried to stand up.

"Just sit for a minute. Catch your breath." Cobb said.

"Has Cokeley moved at all?"

"No. Did you shoot him?"

"I never saw him. I think one of his projections got me." She looked over at Cokeley.

"He'll wake up soon enough." Yusuf said. "We should be gone when he does."

"No. I want to wait." Cassie said. "I want to see the look on his face." She smiled. "Did you call his ex-wife?" She asked Cobb.

"No." He seemed confused.

"I think we should let her know that she made the right choice in leaving him."

"I'll call her. Then I'll call the police and the psychiatric facility. I'm sure they'll be glad to see him."

* * *

The look on Cokeley's face was priceless. He was shocked. "How?" He stuttered.

She pointed to the glass on his desk.

"I should have known." He shook his head.

"Yes, you should have known not to screw with me." She turned to walk away.

"I should have known better than to save you five years ago." He said.

That pushed her over the edge. She pulled her gun out and spun around; pointing it at him.

"I dare you." He sneered. "You don't have in you to shoot…" The shot rang out almost before she realized she had pulled the trigger. The bullet struck his left shoulder. He screamed in pain.

"You didn't think I'd kill you did you? I'm not you Cokeley. I wouldn't take a parent away from their children." She glared at him. The pain he was in was much more satisfying than killing him. He would go back to the psychiatric facility in New York where he belonged, and she would be able to get on with her life. Finally.

* * *

_Okay, so weekend plans are on and I will be sans computer. I'm hoping to update Monday. Let me know what you think! Thanks!_


	15. Chapter 15

_I know it's been a week. I'm sorry I haven't updated before now. I hope you enjoy. Thanks always for the reviews :)_

* * *

"Mommy! You're back!" Joella jumped off the couch and hugged her.

"Yeah, I'm back." Cassie kissed her forehead.

"I want a sibling."

"You what?"

"I want a sibling. A brother or a sister. I don't care which." She grinned.

"Uh, Joella, when I said you should tell your parents I meant let them get in the door first." Ariadne smiled.

"Oh. Oh well." Joella shrugged. "Where are Daddy and Arthur?"

"At the warehouse doing something. They'll be here in a little bit." She smiled.

"Oh good." She skipped to her room.

"How did it go?" Ariadne asked.

"All done. Cokeley's going back to New York to the psychiatric facility where he belongs."

"So what are the guys doing?"

"I don't know. They wouldn't tell me." She shrugged.

* * *

"Evening Ladies." Eames said as he and Arthur walked in.

"Where have you two been?" Cassie asked.

"We've been busy." Eames grinned.

"Daddy!" Joella squealed.

"Hello Sweetheart." He scooped her up in his arms. "Where you good?"

"Yes, I was. I promise!" She kissed his cheek. "Hey Arthur." She waved.

"Hey Joella."

"Ariadne told me that I could tell you that you should marry her."

Arthur chuckled. "I'm sure she didn't want you to actually tell me."

"Of course not, but that's no fun." Joella giggled.

"You. Bed." Cassie pointed at her.

"Fine." She hung her head. "Goodnight." She mumbled as she shuffled to her room.

"Goodnight."

"Arthur. I'm sorry." Cassie apologized.

"It's not a problem. I've come to expect it from her. She's a funny kid."

"Life is never dull with her. When she was a year old she was jumping off furniture. See what you missed?" She looked at Eames. "I wish you could have been here."

"I wish it too." He kissed her. "But I'm here from now on. That is if you'll have me."

"Of course I will." She kissed him.

"Marry me?"

"Yes." She giggled and kissed him.

He pulled her down on the couch.

* * *

"Ariadne?" Arthur knocked on the door, and stuck his head in. She was sitting on her bed reading.

"Arthur!" She jumped up. "When did you get back?" She hugged him.

"A little while ago."

"Why didn't you come in here then?"

"Joella cornered me first."

"Oh gosh. Arthur, I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. She means well." He kissed her.

"I know. She's a sweetheart." She sat down on the bed. "How did it go?"

"A lot of shooting." He sat down beside her. "I didn't get shot. Eames did, and Cassie put him out of his misery. We thought we were under too far to wake up. She thought she sent him into limbo. Thankfully she didn't. She got shot right before I woke up. But other than that it went great."

"Oh here is your gun." She pulled it out of the drawer. "I didn't have to use it."

"I'm glad. I love you Ariadne."

"I love you too Arthur. So what were you and Eames doing?"

"Finishing some things up at the warehouse. Cobb escorted Cokeley to New York." He yawned. "I have to go check on some things at my place. I'm thinking about moving back to the States."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was just living here while we were working, but I'm ready to go home." He smiled.

For as well as she thought she knew Arthur she didn't know where home was for him. "Where's home?"

"Manhattan. Born and raised. You?"

"I was born in Philadelphia. I haven't been there in years though." She didn't pick up on what he was getting at.

"I want to go back to New York Ariadne. Will you come with me?"

"_Wow. Leave Paris? This city has been my home for years."_ Ariadne thought.

"I know it's a big question. You can think about it, and let me know later if you want. I'm about to fall asleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"You can sleep here if you want." She offered.

"I know, but I need to do some stuff at my place."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"To my place or New York?"

"Both." She smiled.

"Yes."

* * *

_I know this is short. I'm hoping to update by the end of the weekend. Thanks again for the reviews they make me smile. Also thanks to everyone who has favorited this story (I know that's not a word, but you know what I mean). Let me know what you think. Thanks!_


	16. Chapter 16

_I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update... Thanks for all the reviews. Y'all are the best! :)_

* * *

Chapter 16

"Not a word Arthur." Ariadne hissed in his ear.

"Can't I please shut him this once?"

"No."

"Can you at least ask Cassie to…?"

"No."

"But it's our wedding."

"Yes, and you had your chance to roast him at his."

"Damn it I had to know that would come back to bite me in the ass." He mumbled. He was sure this was the worst side he had ever seen of Eames. Eames recalled the most embarrassing stories of Arthur. Arthur didn't think what he said at Eames and Cassie's wedding had been _that_ bad. He did remember Eames saying something about Karma being a bitch.

Ariadne chuckled softly. She rested her head on his shoulder. She remembered Eames and Cassie's wedding. It had been almost six months. Joella was the flower girl. Of course. Cassie was happy. Happy wasn't quite the right word for it. Content. Radiant. She was what every woman dreamed of on her wedding day. For one day Eames didn't give Arthur Hell. Now it was Arthur's turn to not give Eames any. _"Good luck with that."_ Ariadne thought as she poked Arthur to get him to sit still. He rolled his eyes. Cassie wanted to get married in Paris. Eames only wanted her to be happy. They got married six months after Arthur and Ariadne moved to New York. Ariadne didn't particularly want to move, but she loved Arthur. She knew how badly he wanted to go home. She knew she wanted to be with him. _"I've made my decision Arthur." She told him while she was helping him pack. Her statement sounded so ominous. "Really?" He seemed surprised, and concerned. "Yeah, I want to go with you." She said. He picked her up and swung her around. "I love you." He grinned. "I love you too." She kissed him._ Then there was the morning not long after they moved. They were still in bed. Arthur rolled over on his side, and propped himself up on his elbow. _"Will you marry me?" He grinned. "Of course I will." She kissed him._ When they told Joella the little girl squealed and said _"It's about time!"_ Of course Joella was going to be the flower girl. Ariadne thought she heard Eames say something about there being Hell to pay. She should have known. She laughed.

"It's not _that_ funny." Arthur whispered.

"I'm not laughing at him. I'm remembering things." She whispered.

"Tell me later?"

"Of course." She kissed him.

He smiled at her. The same smile she saw when they first met, when he first told her he loved her, and every time since then. The same smile she saw when her dad walked her down the aisle.

Eames interrupted her thoughts by finally ending his long winded speech. "Here's to the Bride and Groom." He raised his glass. "You both mean the world to me." He smiled. Ariadne felt tears well up in her eyes. Eames walked over and hugged her. He pressed a soft kiss to her head. Then he hugged Arthur. Surprisingly Arthur didn't try to slug him.

"I hope someone took a picture of that because it will never happen again!" Ariadne laughed.

* * *

"Darling, did you really have to embarrass Arthur like that on his wedding day?" Cassie asked Eames.

"Love, do you remember what he did to me on our wedding day?" He rolled over and looked at her.

"How could I forget? You did sit there and take it like a man." She kissed him.

"Mmhmm. He did too. I'm just glad I got the last word."

"You always have to have the last word don't you?"

He started to say something, but he didn't.

"You are a smart man." She purred. She curved her leg over his hip.

"Yes?" He kissed her.

"I have a surprise."

"Tell me!"

"I'm pregnant!"

"Oh my gosh! That's awesome!" He kissed her.

"Yes it is." She giggled as he kissed her neck.

* * *

_Yes, I know it was short. And I think I could call that 'fluff'. But, hey, I like fluff! :) Let me know what you think. Thanks!_

_Also, if there are any oopsies in this let me know, and I'll fix them. I already spotted one... :p_


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